Grain distributor for conveyer belts



Feb. 27, 1.923.

s. H. M. FOWLER, GRAIN DISTRIBUTOR FOR CONVEYER BELT3- FILED APR. 5, 1922.

F e. 9. INVENTOR. \s'arnucl Hang Milne Fwler,

Patented Feb. 27, 1923.

UNll'Efi ST r as ' innea rarest; cents.

GRAIN nrs'rnrno ros roa oonvnrnn BELTS.

' Application filed April 5,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL HENRY MIL-Ni; FOWLER, a subject of the King. of Great Britain, residing formerly at Park'es but now at Junee, in the State of New South Wales and Commonwealth of Australia, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Grain Distributors for Conveyer Belts, of which the following is a Specification. y r

This invention refers to chutes and conveyer belts for grain and the likespecially those discharging from silos and other overhead storage and relates more particularl v to-the distribution of grain from the feeding chute on to the conveyer belt below. Heretofore the grain falling from the chute unevenly distributed itself on the conveyer belt and more or lesssplashed thereovcr and on stoppage of the belt motion the grain heaped up and overflowed from said belt until the feed was cut off.

Now thisinvention has been specially devised so that the grain from the chute will be more evenly distributed on the belt than heretofore so that opportunity for out off of the feed before overflow of grain will be afforded and so that on stoppage of the belt motion splashing and overflow will be hindered so that a belt of less width than heretofore maybe used and. so that the life of the beltwill be prolonged and thus provid- "ing a novel and effective grain distributor for conveyer belts simple in construction and quick and e'fi'ectivein operation.

' The distributor is of more or less trough shape with curved o-r'straight or other sides of a convenient height to aliix to the chute sides and of sufficient size to'hold a surplusage of grain that is to say to holdmore grain than can be discharged therefrom in a given time The bottom of the distributor has an opening having smaller superficial area for longitudinal unit running rear-v wardly as resulting from tapering. it and may have a suitable area reducing and en- I larging controls.

v But'in order that this invention may be readily carried into practical efl'ect various constructions of grain distributorsand applications thereof according to these present improvements will now be' described with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this completespecb fioation'a 1922. Serial No. 549,666.

In the drawings whichare all moreor less diagrammatic Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an improved grain distributor fitted to a silo chute as ordinarily used. Fig. 2 is a medial longitudinal section of, Fig; l and Fig- 3 is a plan of same. Fig.4 is a. sectional view of another construction of improved grain distributor fitted to a hop per or bottomdischarge. Fig. 5 is a similar view of aj further construction of distributor fitted to a chute side discharge. Figs. 6 and 7 show in plan and medial section a grain distributor with closable bottom doors and Figs. 8 and 9 are plans showing different shapes of the distributor discharge openings.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 2 and 3 of the drawings a chute of ordinary construction say a: casting consisting of a base plate 11 and integral'therewith two horns 12 and two chute sides 13 the latter with lower inwardly directed flanges 1 5 joining a more or less short curved and sloping bottom 15 is bolted to the front wall 10 of a silo discharge end by'bolts 16. At top of the chute is an H-franie 17 bolted through horns 12 to walllO. vertical sliding door 18 in grooves 19 in the A H- frame 17 and horns 12 is provided'to adjustably close the silo discharge orifice in Wall 10 and there are lockingscrews '20 at each side of said H-frame 17 to lock said ,door 18 in any position. Orifices 21 are prov vided in thechute flanges 1% for allixture of rubber curtains necessary in the absencef-of the main elements of this invention. I

A grain distributor of *more or less trough shape is adjustablyaffixed by bolts I 30 through vertical slots 28 inits sides and through horizontal slots 29, in l the 4 chute sides '13 to the chute. This distributor has side walls 28 a front wall -24: a rear wall 25 and a bottom wall 26, all suitably riveted or otherwiseaflixed together.- The bottom wall 26 has a ill-shaped opening 27 and as shown .has no closing or. opening regulating device for this simplest construction; of grain discharge bottomfor the distributor.

In use the door 18. of the silo discharge being opened the grain flows'on to and along the inclined bottom 15 of'the'chute and belng guided by the sidewalls '13. andfflanges 14' falls into the distributor and fiowsthrough the V opening '27 inthe bottom wait-2e thereof in a more or less steady stream to the conveyer belt 22 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. l) and distributes more or less evenly on said belt :22 (by reason of the V- opening) which carries it away.

vShould the conveyor belt 22 step the grain will but slightly pile up thereon but will heap up in the distributor and bank back or dam the lion upon the distributor and through its discharge opening :27 thus giv ing; time for the shutting oi the chute door 18 beforev overflow.

The front wall Set enables shorter distributor to housed and causes the grain to spread on belt 232'. Front wall EZ-t tends to prevent the ain from spillage should the discharge door 18 be opened before the beltbe started thus causing the grain to be more or less bankou up on said I though said wall 2% with the narrowing opening 2? keeps a surplus back. By regulating the height of rain on said beltby extent oi openi of said door 18 there is no possibility of said grain fouling any chutes positioned forwardly and in series therewith. If desired however the front wall and the rear wall 2;) may be dispensed with.

Instead of the opening shape it may be of any other 27 being of lsuitable tapered shape such as for example it might be shaped as shown at 31 in Fig. 8 or as at 32 in Fig. 9.

Referring to the distributor shown in Fig. 4 the rear wall 25 is slightly outwardly convexed and afiixed at its upper end to a band 33 at the bottom of a chute end or a hopper 3a which has a horizontal discharge opening. The bottom 26 has a discharge slot as above described either tapering or any other convenient shape.

In the construction of the distributor shown in Fig. 5 the rear wall25 is inclined forwardly and the ordinary chute as shown in Figs. 1 2 and 3 is dispensed with and the distributor is bolted direct to a flange 35 ateither side of the discharge opening by bolts passing through slots in side walls 23 to allow of longitudinal adjustment of the distributor.

As shown in Figs. 6 and '7 the distributor has its =l-slot 27 closable and the extent of openingthereof regulatable. Below the bottom wall 26 are two sector slides 36 pivotally secured at rear and resting upon bar 27 across the distributor at the fore end and preferablyprovided. withhandgrips 38 so thatlthey may be radially moved over slot 27 and alter its area. The slides 36 bensed in the beforedescribed constructions of distributors to control theflow of grain to the conveyor belt.

' A distributor without slides such as 36 may have its fore wall 24 intwo overlapping freeparts so that they may be rnoved transversely and so more widely open the V-slot 27 or partly close it and having slots and bolts or other locking devices for securing them in any set position.

It will be understood that although several different constructions of distributors have been herein described each of these again may be varied considerably to suit individual requirements without departing from the nature and scope of this invent-ion.

W hat I claim as my invention. and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z 1. distributor for conveyor belts coinprising a substantially trough-shaped body adapted for afiirion to grain discharge chute, and having a bottom discharge opening decreasing in area toward the rear.

2. A. distributor for conveyer beltscomprising a substantially trough-shaped body adapted for ailixion to a grain discharge chute and. of sufficient size to hold more grain than can be discharged therefrom in a given time, substantially as described.

3. A distributor for conveyer belts co1nprising a substantially trough shaped body adapted for afl ixion to a grain discharge chute and of sullicient size to hold more grain than can be discharged therefrom in a given time. said body having a bottom discharge opening with decreasing superficial area per longitudinal unit running rearwardly. substantially as described.

i A distributor for conveyer belts compris. av substantially trough-shaped body adapted for afrixion to a grain discharge chute and having a bottom discharge opening decreasing in area toward the rear, and means for regulating the area of said dis char opening.

zi. distributor for conveyor belts comprising substantially trough-shaped body adapted for allixion to a grain discharge chute and having a bottomdischarge opendecreasing in area toward the rear, and

7, A distributor for conveyor belts comprising a substantially trough-shapedbody adapted for ailixion to a grain discharge chute and having in the bottom a substantially triangular. discharge openingwith the base or the triangle toward, the front of the body, and a pair otelements pivot allysecured to the back. of the body and adapted by movement toward each. other toelosethe discharge opening while maintaining,

final closure the general triangular shape of the opening.

S. A distributor for conveyer belts comprising a ubstantially trough-shaped body having in the bottom a V-shaped discharge stituting abottom wall carried by the said vertical walls and underlying the opening between the unconnected portions of the aid flanges and having directly underneath said opening a substantially triangular discharge opening, and means for securing the base plate to a grain discharge chute.

10. A distributor for conveyer belts comprising a base plate having spaced uprights at each end, a frame secured to the uprights and having guides for a door adapted to control the space between the uprights, vertical side walls extending forwardly from the uprights, a sloping bottom extending forwardly from the base and joining the bottom edges of the side walls over a portion of their length, and a bottom wall carried by the side walls below saidsloping bottom and having a discharge opening therein'decreasing in area toward the said base plate.

11. A distributor for conveyer belts comprising a base plate having spaced uprights at each end, a frame secured to the uprights and having guides for a door adapted to control the space between the uprights, vertical side walls extending forwardly from the uprights, a sloping bottom extending forwardly from the base and joining the bottom edges of the side walls over a portion of-their length, a bottom wall carried by the side walls below said sloping bot:

tom and having a discharge opening therein decreasing in area toward the said base plate, and means for regulating the area of,

the bottom discharge opening.

' 12. A distributor for conveyer belt comprising a hollow body having side walls, a bottom wall adjustable with respect to the side walls, and a discharge opening insaid bottom wall, substantially as. described.

In testimony whereof I have signedmy name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL HENRY MILNE FOWLER. Witnesses:

A. BUBNES,, N. SLADEN.- 

